24. Chapter 24
Chapter 24
Spencer
I t would be weird if I called. Friends don’t call each other in the middle of the night. Especially friends who have plans to see each other the next day. I check the time. It’s too late to call, anyway.
I pace my room. Her text about needing a massage after the hike has been causing fantasies to plague me all night. I haven’t seen her today and it feels like there’s a part of me missing. I want to call her. I want to hear her voice. Ask about her day.
I send a text.
Me: Are you awake?
The reply comes almost immediately.
Firecracker: Yes
Me: Do you want to chat?
The dots come up and disappear five times before the response comes through.
Firecracker: Sure
I don’t even realize I’m holding my breath until I release it, tapping the button to call her instead of text.
“Hi,” she says after half a ring.
“Hi,” I say. Shit. What do I say next? Why did I want to call? There should have been a reason, right?
“How was your day?” she asks.
Right. Conversation. I also wanted to ask about her day.
“It was good. I did pretty much nothing, so that was nice. Adalie and Vic were both busy so I was the only one at Derek’s. We played some video games and watched a movie.”
“What did you watch?”
Her voice is soft, like she’s trying not to be too loud. I wonder if she doesn’t want anyone to know we’re talking. Or maybe she just doesn’t want to wake people. It’s late. I should have just gone to bed. I’m going to see her tomorrow.
“ Alien ,” I tell her.
“I was going to suggest we watch Evil Dead tomorrow after the hike. It’s been a while since I saw it.”
“We can do that.”
“You made quite an impression on my parents, you know.”
I can hear the smile in her voice as I sit on the edge of my bed, finally relaxing enough that I think I can sleep tonight at some point.
“Oh yeah? How so?” I ask her as I strip out of my clothes and pull back the covers.
“They regaled Daze with the story of how you forced me to eat dinner.”
“Mm. Sorry, not sorry.”
“Mom wants me to invite you to dinner next time I go out there. She said you need a family dinner once in a while.”
“Is that something you want?” I ask quietly.
She takes a while to answer, finally whispering, “Yes.” Then, louder, she says, “Spencer—”
But I’m not ready to hear the end of what she’s about to say, so I interrupt. “Your mom is amazing, Lis.”
She hesitates before accepting my change of topic. “She is. Of course, she would be better if she didn’t spoil Cerberus so much. He’s in a food coma now.”
I chuckle. “Just wait until you have kids.”
“Oh, not you, too. They go on and on about how much they want grandbabies.” Her words and her tone are at odds. She seems to love the good-natured teasing. Probably because she knows how much her parents love her.
She yawns. “Sorry. It’s been a long day.”
“You’re right. It’s late. I shouldn’t have called.”
“No. It’s fine. I said you could.”
Had she wanted to hear my voice as much as I wanted to hear hers? What are we doing? Why aren’t we together?
“You need to sleep if you’re going to be able to keep up with me on the mountain tomorrow.”
She groans. “Don’t remind me. I’m trying to pretend it’s not going to happen. You are going to owe me so hard for this.”
“You have a few favours saved up. What would you like me to do?”
Some of the things I’m thinking are certainly not things friends would do for each other. Like a full-body massage. Her soft skin beneath my hands. Fuck. Now I’m hard.
“I’m sure I’ll think of something.” She yawns again.
“Go to sleep, firecracker. I’ll see you in the morning. You’ll pick me up at about nine?”
“Yeah. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
We say goodbye and hang up and I’m left both more relaxed and more tense, my dick telling me he’s annoyed with me.
He’s still annoyed with me in the morning, after dreams of rainbow hair spread on my pillow, soft skin beneath my hands. I take a shower that makes us both feel a little better, then get dressed and pack a couple things into my backpack. In the living room, Vic is sitting on the couch with Emily.
“Good morning, ladies,” I say as I go over and kiss the top of Vic’s head. “Emily. So lovely to see you.”
“You’re lying again, Spencer,” Emily says.
“Nope. I am happy enough right now, not even you can ruin it. Vic could tell me you’re moving in, and even that couldn’t spoil my mood today.”
Vic smiles up at me. “Going to see Lis?”
“I convinced her to hike the Grouse Grind with me.” My phone buzzes. It’s exactly nine o’clock. “In fact, that’s probably her now.”
“Have fun.”
I hurry downstairs and we drive out to Grouse Mountain. What’s usually a two-hour bus ride is only a thirty-minute drive and we’re there in no time. The weather has turned again, foreboding clouds rolling in overhead. Though it hasn’t started raining yet. I pay for parking—since the hike was my idea—and we walk to the trailhead, stopping by the signs at the fence.
“No downhill travel for safety reasons,” Lis reads. “So once we start, there’s no turning back.”
“Adventures beware: Do not begin unless you intend to finish.”
Lis turns to me, an eyebrow raised. “There better not be any Jumanji -esqe adventures on this trail. Climbing a mountain is bad enough.” She warms up with some high knees. “I just want to start this by saying I hate you. And if it starts to rain on us, I might have to kill you.”
I grin. “It’ll all be worth it in the end. Just think of the view at the top.”
She scowls. “If I’m in it for the view, I could just take the gondola up.”
Now I’m laughing. “Where’s the fun in that? Come on. I’ll race you.”
“Absolutely not. No racing. Let’s just get this over with.”
I scan my timer card—only people who regularly climb the Grouse Grind get them—and we start. The beginning of the hike isn’t too bad. The trail is wide enough for us to walk side-by-side and not so steep that we talk while we walk. We discuss favourite movies and Lis staunchly refuses to choose one.
“There are so many. How can I just pick one? And maybe one night I’m feeling more like a romance and maybe the next I’m feeling like a fantasy. Or an action movie. You can’t make me choose.”
“Okay, how about this? Top five right now, off the top of your head. They don’t have to be your favourites. Just the first ones you can think of.”
She looks at me through her eyelashes, an eyebrow raised. “Fine. The Mummy, Princess Bride, The Fifth Element, Penelope, and Stardust .”
“I don’t think I’ve seen the last two.”
“Oh my god, you have to. They’re both excellent movies.”
“They must be if they’re on your list. Do you want to watch one today?”
“Nah. Next time. We’ll watch Evil Dead tonight. So what’s your list?”
I love the casual way she says we’ll watch more movies together. Since the first hike, we’ve not hung out after our hikes. We’d maybe pushed the line of “friends” a little further than we should have that day. Lis had pulled back a bit. What was different now?
The memory of the kiss at the rehearsal floats through my mind, followed by the supercharged moment at Nessa and Carter’s wedding. I shake the thoughts off and I answer her question.
“Well, Evil Dead , of course. Though if I can only choose one, it would probably be the last one.”
“ Army of Darkness , right?”
“Yes. Then probably, Alien , Princess Bride , Star Wars —but if I have to choose one, Empire Strikes Back —and Commando .”
“What’s Commando ?”
“Are you kidding me? Arnold Schwarzenegger as John Matrix trying to rescue his daughter. Classic.”
She gives me a bemused smile and shakes her head. “Never seen it.”
“You have to. We’ll have to start a list.” I pull out my phone and find the notes app, typing in the three movies.
“Spencer,” Lis says, bringing my attention back to her. “What does that sign say?”
I look to where she’s pointing. “It says one quarter.”
“Are you telling me we’re only a quarter of the fucking way?”
“Yep.”
She stops walking, shifting off the path in case anyone comes up behind us, then fixes me with a glare. “You seem a decent fellow. I hate to kill you.”
I know what the next line should be. Everyone who loves The Princess Bride knows what the next line should be. But there’s a better one. “We are men of action. Lies do not become us.”
She laughs. “You’re right. I’m going to enjoy killing you for this. I’m very good with knives, you know. I get kind of stabby when I’m angry.”
I wrap my arms around her, unable to stop myself, and press a kiss to her temple which is sweaty beneath my lips. I don’t care at all.
“Come on, firecracker. You can make it. Besides. That marker is actually the elevation. Not the distance. We’re further than a quarter of the way distance-wise.”
We continue walking, my arm around her, urging her forward.
“I still hate you and I’m still going to kill you.”
I have to let her go. We can’t walk like this on this trail. As much as I wish we could.
“How long does it usually take you to get to the top?” she asks.
“Usually an hour and a half. I pushed once to see what I could do and managed it in an hour, but I don’t like going that fast.”
“I feel like I’m going to take longer than an hour and a half.”
“We’ll go your pace. There’s no rush. Besides, when the trail gets narrow, you can walk in front. I will happily follow you up the mountain.”
She lifts an eyebrow at me. “Are you implying you’re going to stare at my ass?”
“Yes.” I give her an unrepentant smile.
“Well, then I think it’s only fair we take turns,” she responds primly.
“You want a chance to stare at my ass then?”
“And your shoulders. You have nice shoulders.”
We stop for water. Lis does a few stretches. We continue. The trail gets harder and we don’t talk as much, climbing stair after stair, some built, some formed from the mountain itself. When we reach the three quarter sign, Lis stops, bending over with her hands on her knees.
“Fuck. This is awful. You do this for fun?”
“Yes,” I say, grinning. “You’re doing great. And the worst is behind us now.”
“I think the whole thing is the worst. I think you’re the worst for making me do this. I am never doing this again.”
“Yes, you will. You’re going to get to the top and the endorphins are going to flood in and you’re going to beg me to take you next time I come up here.”
She snorts. “Sure. And you can hike up the mountain and I’ll take the gondola. I’ll have a nice leisurely breakfast and you can reach the top all sweaty.”
We keep going, climbing the last quarter faster than the last while. When we reach the top, we find the timer station and I hand Lis my card.
“Want to do the honours?”
She grabs it and swipes it, letting out a huge breath.
“Come on,” I say, grabbing her hand and tugging her with me. “Let’s get a selfie.”
“You’re insane if you think I want my picture taken looking like this.”
“It’s just for me. Here.” I pull her to a stop with the view of North Vancouver in the distance.
She pats her hair, trying to smooth it down. It only marginally works. Then she scowls at me as I take a picture. I love it.
“No social media,” she says. “I don’t want people thinking I like hiking.”
I laugh. “No social media. Just my own reference. You want something to eat?” I want to take her hand again, but I stop myself before I get carried away.
I buy her lunch from the cafe and we sit.
“So do you still hate me and want to kill me?” I ask.
She chews on a fry, contemplating, her chin propped on one hand. “Maybe a little less than I did before. Now that it’s over, my hatred is waning. Not because I’m thinking it was fun. Just. The immediacy of wanting to shove you off the side of the mountain has passed. No promises for if you make me do this again.”
“Of course.”
“So what are our plans for the rest of the day?” she asks.
I can’t contain the smile when she says our plans .
“I figure you need to get back to your place for Cerberus. I brought Evil Dead if you still want to watch it. Or something else. Whatever you want.”
“Sure. I don’t need to hurry back to him. Sophie’s at home, so she’s probably already taken him out. But we can go to my place and watch it there. Should I get the gondola tickets down since you paid for lunch?”
“I figured I’d pay for everything since I dragged you here.”
She arches an eyebrow at me. I’m beginning to love that look. That I-have-a-feeling-you’re-up-to-something-but-I’m-not-going-to-do-anything-to-stop-you look. “Does that mean when I take you running, I get to buy you lunch?”
“Fuck yes. I am not running anywhere unless I get a reward at the end.”
Her eyes sparkle, more blue than green. “You remind me of Cerberus. He’s also very food motivated.”
“I’ve been compared to worse things. At least you think he’s cute.”
“I do.”
I want to ask if she’s talking about me or the dog. I recall her comment about watching my ass and shoulders climbing up the mountain. I just smile at her.
Then I pay for our tickets and we ride the gondola back down.